Mary Elizabeth Schleussner was born in Canada and then grew up in Connecticut. There she married Otto W. Schleussner, a wealthy stockbroker. The couple moved to Los Angeles. Elizabeth was an avid equestrrian and was active in the Los Angeles high society scene. After Elizabeth suffered a hand injury, she took up oil painting as a means of therapy. She established her studio in her home on Mount Washington, just south of Glendale and Pasadena. She became quite accomplished as a painter, gaining some recognitioin for her skills. She is known for her desert landscapes, paintiings of adobes and her stylized eucalyptus trees.

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She sold her works though prestigiouos galleries in the Los Angeles area. She won a prize in an art competition at (the now famous) Gardena High School. Every year, the Gardena High School graduatiing class would commission the winner of an art competition at their school, judged by the students. Artists allowed a peice of their work to show and if they did not win, they kept their painting. The winner on the other hand donated their painting to the school as a gift. Over the years, the school's collection grew to include significant works from some of California's greatest painters, including Maynard Dixon, Jimmy Swinnerton, Edgar Payne, Jean Mannheim, Franz Bischoff and many others. (See our newsletter article, August, 2019.)

Elizableth passed away in Palm Springs on May 14, 1956.

Source: Artists in California 1786 - 1940, Edan Milton Hughes, 3d ed, and AskArt.com